Techniques and Concerns of Modernism
Demonstrate your understanding of the context and values of Modernism by close analysis of the techniques and concerns of Modernism that are reflected in one poem and one short story.
Modernism as a movement is an artistic reaction to the conventional art and literature of mid- to late 19th century. World War I introduced advanced technology and the introduction of industrialisation provoked Modernist writers to express their concerns about the changing society and the complexities it of through their works. Urban alienation, the meaning of life as well as inner psychological perspectives are some issues explored through the experimentation of new literary techniques as the progression from the Realism and Romanticism of the 19th century called for more realistic conventions in literature to allow writers express their values concerning the changing world. The poem ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ by T.S. Eliot and ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ by Ernest Hemingway are two texts which highlight the concerns of rapid industrialisation and values such as sex before marriage. Modernist writers expressed their opinions through the use of techniques such as stream of consciousness, non-linear structure, defamiliarisation, impressionism and symbolism.
The rapidly advancing world produced concentrated urban areas and the difficulties felt by an individual through the changing perspectives from community to individualism resulted in isolation. Through a ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’, the dramatic monologue of Prufrock provides readers with Eliot’s perspective of the rapidly changing world through the inner consciousness of an individual. The simile “… the evening is spread out against the sky like a patient etherised upon a table” reflects the persona’s hesitation at making decisions and paralysis as he fears the outcome of his decisions could be damaging to his self-esteem. This indicates that as a result of the First World War, individuals had lost
Modernism as a movement is an artistic reaction to the conventional art and literature of mid- to late 19th century. World War I introduced advanced technology and the introduction of industrialisation provoked Modernist writers to express their concerns about the changing society and the complexities it of through their works. Urban alienation, the meaning of life as well as inner psychological perspectives are some issues explored through the experimentation of new literary techniques as the progression from the Realism and Romanticism of the 19th century called for more realistic conventions in literature to allow writers express their values concerning the changing world. The poem ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ by T.S. Eliot and ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ by Ernest Hemingway are two texts which highlight the concerns of rapid industrialisation and values such as sex before marriage. Modernist writers expressed their opinions through the use of techniques such as stream of consciousness, non-linear structure, defamiliarisation, impressionism and symbolism.
The rapidly advancing world produced concentrated urban areas and the difficulties felt by an individual through the changing perspectives from community to individualism resulted in isolation. Through a ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’, the dramatic monologue of Prufrock provides readers with Eliot’s perspective of the rapidly changing world through the inner consciousness of an individual. The simile “… the evening is spread out against the sky like a patient etherised upon a table” reflects the persona’s hesitation at making decisions and paralysis as he fears the outcome of his decisions could be damaging to his self-esteem. This indicates that as a result of the First World War, individuals had lost